06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Living conditions in the armed forces contributed to mistreatment and injuries unrelated to military operations ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 20108]

"Social norms and substandard living conditions in the armed forces contributed to mistreatment and injuries unrelated to military operations. Although there was no reliable and up‑to‑date reporting on the full extent of military hazing, soldiers reported to human rights NGOs that the practice continued. Local NGOs reported instances of hazing and said parents of soldiers complained that corrupt officials controlled military units. Authorities did not take any significant measures to limit or stop the practice; however, 20 military personnel were convicted in connection with criminal cases of hazing during the year."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Soldier claims to have been physically mistreated by military investigators and military police officer ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 20109]

"In August Razmik Sargsian, a soldier who had been serving a 15-year sentence for the 2003 murder of two fellow soldiers, staged several hunger strikes to protest his innocence. Sargsian said interrogators, including military investigators and military police officer Aram Baghdasaryan, physically mistreated him for five days to obtain his confession for the killings. He claimed interrogators suspended him by his hands and beat him and threatened him with rape. Sargisian's confession implicated two other soldiers, and the court of first instance sentenced all three to 15‑year terms in May 2005. Following an unsuccessful appeal, the Court of Appeals extended their sentences to life in prison on May 30. When the defendants' lawyers, Zaruhi Postanjian, Ashot Atoyan, and Stepan Voskanian, asserted that the proceedings were fraudulent and designed to cover up involvement of higher ranking personnel, state prosecutors initiated contempt proceedings against the lawyers at the request of the three appeals court judges who heard their cases (see section 1.e). On December 22, in a significant assertion of judicial independence, the Court of Cassation, the country's highest court, nullified the convictions of the soldiers and ordered them released. The Court based its ruling on a provision of the Criminal Procedural Code that allows a judge to send a case back to the prosecutor's office for reinvestigation if the original investigation was not conducted lawfully. Charges against the soldiers remained in place at year's end."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

6 deaths investigated by military prosecutor's office; 5 soldiers killed in cease-fire violations along border wit Azerbaijan ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46111],  [ID 15627]

"[...] there were some deaths in the military as a result of mistreatment. The military prosecutor's office investigated six deaths, three of which were hazing related. The remaining cases were investigated, but the prosecutor did not announce final results. While human rights observers asserted there were considerably more unreported deaths that were also hazing‑related, the prosecutor general denied these assertions. The Ministry of Defense reported there were 273 cases of cease-fire violations along the border with Azerbaijan, resulting in 5 deaths and 6 injuries, roughly matching the number reported by the press during the year."

Document(s): Open document

28.02.2005 - Source: US Department of State

Cases of death in the army caused by mistreatment and various combat operations ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2004") [#29491],  [ID 3399]

"There were no reports of politically motivated killings by the Government or its agents; however, there were some deaths in the military as a result of mistreatment.

The Military Prosecutor's Office reported six deaths; however, the cause of the deaths was unknown. Each case was investigated, but the Prosecutor did not announce final results.

There was one cease-fire violation along the border with Azerbaijan. In June, cross-border fire and shelling in the Tavush region resulted in a number of casualties on both sides.

During the year, there were a few deaths due to landmines, although reliable statistics were difficult to obtain. All sides involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict used landmines, which have been laid along the 540-mile border with Azerbaijan and along the line of contact."

Document(s): Open document

29.09.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Karabakh Armenian military leader released from prison ("Freeing of Karabakh Military Chief Stirs Debate") [#25943],  [ID 3400]

Document(s): Open document